Cutting-die.



J'. J, HEYS.

CUTTING DIE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1912.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

l WT/VESSES.

inarrn snares ra'rnr onion JOHN J. HEYS, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEWJERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CUTTING-13115..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

Application filed March 29, 1912. Serial No. 687,137.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. HEYS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Cutting-Dies, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the. several figures.

This invention relates to improvements indies for cutting blanks from sheet ma terial and is herein shown as embodied in a die for cutting upper leather for use in boots and shoes.

An object of the invention is to improve the construction and reduce the cost of dies of the type which have a centrally located handle by which the operator manipulates the die in placing it upon the hide and which receives the blow of a malletused in forcing the die through the leather. Heretofore the handle has been secured permanently to the cutting portion of the die, usually by connecting arms. or a web welded to the cutting portion or by connection'with a bridge member formed as anintegral' part of the cutting portion. Inaccordance with the present invention'it is proposed to provide a holder comprising a striking handle and gripping means whereby the handle may be detachably secured to any one of a number of independent knives or cutting portions. In this way a single holder with its striking handle may be made to serve for a whole set of dies and therefore the expense of equipping a cutting room may be materially reducedl Not only is the cost of a complete set of dies reduced, but also the cost of a single die as the cutting por-.

tion or knife m l}?- be constructed more cheaply and of much lighter material than formerly and the necessity for W lding the handle to the knife is obviated; This in itself is no small advantage as it has been found difficult to weld the handle, to the completed knife accurately in the proper position and without overheating the mate rial of the knife,

Another important object of the inven: tion is to provide a holder by the use of which a clicking die of any commercial type, such for example as that disclosed 1n United States. Letters. Patent No 922,926

'such'relation to the handle that a blow delivered thereto will be transmitted equally to the periphery of the knife member. By making the gripping devices adjustable as a wholetowa-rd and from the handle of the holder and by so constructing the gripping devices that the knife member may itself be adjusted in them, the handle and knife maybe readily located in the proper relation whatever may be the shape of the knife.

Other features of the invention relate to the gripping devices which serve to clamp and retain the knife member in the holder. As shown, the gripping devices are arranged to engage the opposite side faces of the knife member by wedging action and this arrangement possesses the advantages that the knife may be engaged at any desired point without the necessity of cutting recesses or the like in the face of the knife and that a powerful clamping effect is secured so that all liability of the knife being pulled out of its holder in case the edge should stick in the cutting block is obviated.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view in perspective of a tip die embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the die from beneath; Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing one of the die gripping devices; and Fig. 4 is a. view in perspective of the various parts of one of the die gripping devices.

Referring to the drawings, the knife member, or die, 10 comprises an open continuous frame shaped to correspond with the outline of the blanks it is desired to cut, and having a sharpened cutting edge and a flat oppositely disposed pressure receiving edge. In cross section the die is somewhat Wedge-shaped having the greater bevel upon its outer surface and its inner surface nearly perpendicular to the plane of its cutting edge. The die herein shown is of the regular commercial type now used in connection with clicking presses and may be constructed substantially in accordance with the patent to J. M. Lynch, hereinbefore referred to. It should be understood, however, that the precise construction of the die or knife member is not es sential as other types of dies than that illustrated may be employed to a-good advantage.

The holder comprises the striking handle 12 having at its lower end a heavy flange from which project three laterally extending arms 14:. Each of the arms 1 1 is slotted at its outer end and provided with dovetailed ways 16 to receive the flange on the hub of a knurled nut 22. The nut 22 is internally threaded to receive the shank 20 of a bolt having a wedge-shaped and eccentric head 21 which constitutes one member of each of the die gripping devices. The shank 20 of each bolt passes loosely through a perforationin a slotted block 18 and thus maintains the block in engagement with the lower surface of one of the arms 14. Each block 18 is provided with an inner curved flange 19 between which and the wedgeshaped head 21 of the bolt is clamped one side of the die, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. It will be seen that, when the clamping bolt is drawn up by turning the knurled nut 22, the block 18 will be clamped in position upon one arm of the holder and, when the nut 22 is loosened, the entire die gripping device may be moved radially toward or from the handle 12 of the holder or the die itself may be moved in the block.

The head 21 of each clamping bolt has two flat sides and a Wedge-shaped die engaging side and is so proportioned that when its flat sides are turned into parallel re lation with the sides of the die there willbe sufl'icient space to insert the die between the head 21 and the curved inner flange 19 of the block. To clamp the die in this position it is necessary only to turn the head 21 of the clamping bolt through a small angle suiiiciently to bring its Wedge-shaped surface into engagement with the inclined outer surface of the die and to retain the bolt with its head in this clamping position. In operating the die gripping device herein shown it is necessary only to turn the knurled nut, as the effect of its friction on the bolt will be first to turn the clamping bolt until its head firmly engages the side of the die and then further turning of the nut merely draws the bolt upwardly, thus clamping the die and at the same time clamping the whole device in position on the arm 14:- If desired, other means, such for example as a cross pin, may be profor all practical purposes the knurled nut alone suffices.

in placing a die in the holder the knurled nuts 22 will all be loosened and the bolt heads 21 turned until their flat sides are substantially parallel to the sides of the die to be inserted. The die will be placed loosely with its back in the channels of the blocks 18 between the flanges 19 and bolt heads, the blocks being moved in or out upon the arms 14: if necessary. The die may then be moved freely with the blocks until its center of symmetry is located substantially in line with the axis of the striking handle and finally the nuts 22 are turned to clamp the parts together in the manner already outlined. 7

.It should be understood that, in showing and describing the present die gripping devices, it is my intention to disclose merely one desirable embodiment thereof and that it is within the scope of the present invention to substitute any other form of gripping device for engaging a die.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire'to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A holder for a tip die having a handle and radially extending arms at one end thereof, one arm being arranged to overlie the rear portion of a tip die and other arms arranged to overlie the forward portion of the die at each side of the center, together with an angularly adjustable engaging device on each arm movable radially into different clamping positions and including rel" atively movable die gripping members one of which has a wedging engagement with the side of the die.

2. A device for cutting sheet material, comprising a rigid knife member of endless contour, a striking handle formed with a transversely extending surface constructed and arranged to overlie the knife member and having outwardly divergent slots ex tending through said surface, and a knife clamping device mounted in each of said slots for bodily adjusting movement and including a member movable togrip the sides of the knife member by lateral pressure.

3. A holder for a cutting die having a beveled outer surface, comprising a handle with radially extending arms at one end thereof, and die gripping devices each comprising a flange and a relatively movable clamping member having an elongated undercut head arranged to be turned in such manner as to overlie the beveled surface of the die.

4. A device for cutting sheet material,

comprising a clicking die and a detachable holder having a striking handle with laterally projecting portions arranged to overlie the die, and blocks adjustable upon the lower faces of the overlying portions hav ing die gripping means.

5. A device for cutting sheet material, comprising a clicking die and a detachable holder having a striking handle, adjustable die gripping devices associated with the handle and including relatively movable engaging portions, and means for simultaneously clamping a die gripping device in position relatively moving said engaging portions to engage the die.

6. A detachable striking handle for a clicking die having a plurality of die gripping devices each comprising a curved abutment for engaging one side of the die and a Wedge-shaped member for engaging the other side of the die.

7 A detachable striking handle for a clicking die having laterally extending arms with dovetailed ways therein, a block having relatively movable gripping members arranged for movement in a path parallel with the dovetailed ways and having a threaded shank projecting transversely of the ways, and a flanged thumb nut upon the shank arranged for sliding movement in the dovetailed ways.

8. A device for cutting sheet material, comprising a knife member, a holder having a handle and a plurality of cut out blocks shaped to receive the back of the knife memher, and means withln the cut out portlon of each block movable into clamping engagement with the sides of the knife member.

9. A device for cutting sheet material, comprising a knife member having a side surface inclined to the plane of its cutting edge, and a detachable holder having a gripping device including a-bolt mounted with its head adjacent to the inclined surface of the knife member, the head having one surface correspondingly inclined.

10. A device for cutting sheet material, comprising a knife member with a beveled surface, a detachable holder having a bolt with a wedge-shaped head disposed adjacent to the beveled surface of the knife member, and means for moving the bolt axially to cause its head to engage the side of the knife and clamp it in place.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN J. HEYS.

Witnesses:

CHESTER E. ROGERS, FRANK E. ALGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

